Bring It Down
by pleasant-hell
Summary: Santana had never handled rejection well. Rejection by her best friend, she finds that it hurts a lot worse. So she responds in the only way she knows how. Her walls go back up and she hides behind a familiar title: Cheerio.


Here's my obligatory add-on to "Sexy". Fingers crossed that they'll get together on the show for real. That episode officially made me an Artina shipper. Or Artie and anyone else that's not Brittany.

Anyway, hope you enjoy.

* * *

Anger always came so much easier to her than any other emotion. She even admitted it out loud. She was angry because she was confused and scared. Both of those undesirable emotions were overloading her brain so she shoved them out with the anger.

So she planned and schemed. These were things that came easy. They were strangely comforting and familiar. She looked herself over in the full-length mirror, replaying the conversation she had had yesterday in her head.

_If Artie and I were to ever break up and I'm lucky enough that you're still single…_

Santana rolled her eyes at herself for her tear ducts overreacting even twenty-four hours after it happened. She willed the tears back into hiding before scoffing that the line Brittany fed her. Like she was some sort of goddamn consolation prize. She might as well have said If I can't have Artie, you'll do.

"Fuck that," Santana sneered out loud and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. She was vulnerable no more. Never again. She was moving on and moving up.

The bell rang and she grabbed her purse, pushing open the door that led to the hallway. Sam was waiting for her just like she told him to. She let out an entirely fake smile and kissed him. She kissed him hard and he did what he always did. He soaked it up. Santana was one hell of a kisser and if he wasn't a dude it would have made his weak in the knees.

When Santana decided they were finished, she took his hand and looped it around her shoulders. He smiled at her, "Nice outfit."

She let out more of a sneer than a smile, "It's just an old thing I had laying around."

They went out into the main hallway and heads turned. Everyone that was walking in the hallway seemed to press up against the lockers as she and Sam walked through the hallway. Santana smirked. This. Felt. Good.

They were cowering before her again. The idiotic masses of the high school would bow down to her and all it took was a simple wardrobe change.

Brittany was pushing Artie down the hallway when she saw her. Sam had a huge smile on his face and looked as smug at Mr. Hefner himself. His arm was slung around Santana. What she was wearing shocked Brittany so much that she ran Artie into a wall.

Her Cheerios uniform.

That red skirt fluttering behind her as she walked, the way the letters WMHS sat perfectly across her chest, the band of white encased her torso like an armored plate. There was no mistaking it. Cheerio Santana was back.

"What are you doing?" Quinn was the first one to speak up.

"Well, Coach Sylvester doesn't really care that I quit before. She does care that I'm going to whip that shabby excuse for a team into shape as Head Cheerio. In time for the invitational next weekend."

"But Regionals is next weekend," Rachel pointed out.

Santana mockingly tapped her finger to her chin, "Huh. Will ain't that a bitch?" She turned on her heel and walked out throwing a peace sign in the air, "See you in hell."

"Wait," Sam called and trotted to her, blocking her exit, "I was all for you joining up with the Cheerios again but you can't quit glee."

"Oh really?" Santana asked menacingly crossing her arms, "Who is going to stop me?"

Sam looked to the group behind her for help. Brittany was the only one that caught his eyes. But she quickly looked away.

"It's not fair Santana." Sam tried to talk some sense into her.

"Tough shit." Was her only reply.

He thought of the first thing that came to his mind, "If you leave, you're walking out on me too."

The fire in her eyes flared, "I don't need you." She turned back to the group, "I don't need any of you." When her eyes landed on Brittany she saw that the blue eyes were looking back with a profound sadness that made Santana restless. She sidestepped Sam and walked out.

"Brittany," Sam asked, "Do you think you could go see if she'll change her mind? We can't compete without her."

"I-I-I dunno," Brittany shook her head.

"You're her best friend baby," Artie touched her shoulder, "She'll listen to you."

Brittany looked down at her hands. "I don't think so."

"Then I'll do it," Rachel stood up but Quinn grabbed her hand and pulled Rachel back into the chair.

"Not unless you want to die," Quinn glanced at Brittany who was close to straight up sobbing, "I'll do it."

"It's okay. We'll figure out a way to compete. There's no need to cry." Artie tried to console Brittany but found it was near impossible. Especially when she didn't really want him to touch her.

Quinn found Santana in the hallway at her locker, taking down all the pictures taped to the door.

"What do you want?" Santana snapped throwing the pictures to the bottom of her locker because she didn't have the heart to throw them away.

"Why are you back on the team?" Quinn asked, crossing her arms and tilted her head so that her bangs fell into her face.

"They need me." Santana's emotionless voice stated.

Quinn answered, "We need you."

"Because someday I wanna get out of this punk ass town. I'm not gonna get a house in the burbs next to you and Finn and your perfect fucking children with stupid rhyming names."

"Look I know you and Brittany had a fight and I have a pretty good idea what it's about." Quinn paused, "I've know you both since we were little kids."

"You thought you knew me." Santana slammed her locker and started to walk out.

The blonde lowered her voice, "You made her cry."

Santana stopped dead in her tracks. She didn't turn around but she was still.

"Artie's never done that to her," Quinn added.

Santana whipped around in a whirl of red and white. She got into Quinn's face as the blonde stood her ground. Angry tears started the tumble down her cheeks as she said through her teeth, "Don't you ever, ever compare me to him again. I'm done. I'm fucking done."

Quinn exhaled as s stalked off down the hallway only pausing to kick over a trashcan.

"I'm gonna guess it didn't go well judging by the sound of flying garbage." Puck shrugged.

Quinn's eyes went to Brittany who was still in a disheveled mess. She took a deep breath, "She'll be back. If not there's always Jewfro."

Over the next two days the glee club is unmercifully slushied starting with Artie. Rachel was next, then Finn, Quinn, Mike, Tina and Mercedes.

_Santana paced in front of the group of Cheerios that were no terrified and elated that they now had a leader that wasn't using them to choreography a glee number for a different school, "There is a natural order ladies. Are you just going to ignore it?"_

The girl who was supposed to slushy Puck and Lauren got scared when Lauren looked at her and slushied herself before promptly quitting the Cheerios and high school in general.

Everyone was slushied except Brittany.

Every time Santana passed Brittany she had to fight her own eyes to not look at her. She always looked at her phone or her nails, trying desperately to seem like her mid-hallway confession never happened. She could feel the blue eyes on her, baiting her, but she never took it. She knew if she looked at Brittany, she would falter and she couldn't have that. She needed to be strong and invincible again.

One day Brittany and Santana actually had the misfortune of being in the rest room at the same time. Santana was fixing her hair when Brittany walked in. Both girls were in such an emotionally fragile place, that just seeing each other set their tear ducts into work.

Santana started walking out, but Brittany grabbed her arm.

"Let go," Santana yanked her arm away.

The blue eyes grazed the floor before finally meeting Santana's eyes, "Why are you being so mean to me? To everyone?"

"I'm just being myself. I'm mean because my heart is made of ice. I'm a frigid bitch who just likes power and sex."

Brittany sighed and ran her fingertips up Santana's arm, "This isn't you."

Santana shrunk away from the touch, "How would you know?"

"I know you. I love you."

"Don't ever say that again," Santana clenched her jaw trying to keep the tears in her eyes from dropping.

"I love you." Brittany stated again, taking a step toward Santana.

The tears won and started rolling down Santana's cheek, "Why are you doing this to me? Do you like hurting me?"

Her blonde hair rippled as she shook her head, "You know I'd never hurt you on purpose. I never wanted to hurt you."

"Great fucking job," Santana spat and angrily wiped her eyes. She walked out the door, leaving Brittany alone to sink down to the floor, crying and wondering how this all got so out of hand.

_"Get this in your heads," she narrowed her eyes at the bunch, "This is my school. I own it. I will do what I want and no one is going to stop me." She wanted to roll her eyes at the eager nods. She could have told them she was going to march them right into an active volcano and they would have agreed. "We've been disgraced. We've been laughed at and we've become failures. We're now going to prove ourselves. That we can come back, hotter and bitchier than ever."_

"They put a slushy machine in the Cheerio locker room." Quinn hissed at the group that had assembled in the choir room during lunch, mostly to hide.

"I'm going to catch pneumonia then I'll give it to all of you," Rachel started to hyperventilate, "then we'll never win Regionals."

"You all look like smurfs." Lauren commented. The slushy of the day was apparently blue and she had gotten her hands on one, sipping it as she watched the drama unfold in front of her.

"I'm a football player," Finn said, "This isn't supposed to happen to me."

"As the future prom queen it shouldn't happen to me either." Quinn rang out her hair creating a blue puddle on the floor.

"Why hasn't Brittany gotten slushied?" Tina asked, looking at the blonde in question. Everyone looked at Brittany questioningly.

"Are you all really that stupid?" Quinn snapped. She was tired and cold and pissed off that this was happening to her again.

"No," Rachel shook her head, "Although I didn't find it appropriate to say it out loud."

"What are you talking about?" Mike asked.

"The mean one was diddling the tall one," Lauren shrugged, the straw still in the side of her mouth "It's been going on for months. And yes you are all idiots."

"Wha-," Artie looked up at Brittany, "What is she talking about?"

"Santana is pissed because something happened between her and Brittany," Quinn added, "and she wants to take it out on Brittany but can't seem to make herself actually hurt Brittany. She cares too much."

"Is it true?" Artie asked Brittany.

Brittany slowly nodded her sob building up before she couldn't hold it in. She escaped the music room before the tears fell. She sunk down onto the ground of the hallway.

The pitter-patter of flats against the ground announced Quinn's arrival. She sat down next to Brittany, taking the girl in her arms "Don't worry B. She'll come around and realize that she really is in love with you. Then she'll be happy again."

"What?" Brittany looked confused.

"You didn't confess your love to her and she freaked out and left?"

"No," Brittany sniffled and pulled away, "She told me...and I told her I couldn't because I'm with Artie."

Quinn blinked. Then she blinked again, "What?"

Brittany looked up at Quinn, trying to figure out which part Quinn missed. Quinn looked around for a moment trying to figure out if she was in some kind of bizzaro world before looking back at the other blonde. "I'm sorry. I always thought it would be the other way around."

"What do you mean?"

"I always knew that Santana was scared," Quinn added softly, knowing her answer might sting "I never thought you were."

"I'm not scared." Brittany answered defiantly as tears made their way back into her eyes. She crossed her arms, trying to look tougher than she was at the moment.

Quinn nodded, "Okay."

"I'm not!"

Quinn took Brittany's hand and pulled her close as Brittany fell apart in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Santana stood in the parking lot, inspecting every single cheerleader that walked past her. If one thing was amiss she'd yank them out of line and make them fix it before letting them back on.

On the other side of the parking lot the glee club was wearily getting on their bus. The loss of Santana and Brittany's crippling depression had sunk the team. They were short one vocal superstar and had a fabulous dancer that had been moving like a zombie.

The club watched Santana inspect everyone before she slowly turned around looking at the sad eyes of her former teammates. They all looked like they were going to prison.

She tried her best to look hardened and cold but she knew she was letting them down and it hurt. Almost as much as the look on Brittany's face when their eyes met. She was in the back of the bus isolated from the rest of the team. Santana could even see Artie at the front watching her with disgusted eyes.  
She finally couldn't take it anymore and boarded the cheerios bus. She patted the driver's shoulder and he took off.

The green room was a somber sight. "Are you guys always like this before a show or just when I'm here?" Jacob asked.

Everyone ignored him and tried their best to get their minds on the songs, but no one was really able to focus. Even Rachel seemed far off.

As the music started, Rachel started singing, but it sounded hollow. Everyone swayed behind her on beat, but without their usual enthusiasm.

Suddenly Jacob disappeared from between Quinn and Puck. The wave of the curtain behind where he was indicated that he disappeared back stage. They looked at each other with panic. Finally Quinn was about to go drag him out when the curtain flew up and lights shined behind the stage illuminating their silhouettes against the crowd. When the lights went down, in Jacob's place was none other than Santana.

It was just in time for her solo. Quinn handed Santana her microphone with a smile and watched at Santana walked up to the front of the stage where she had been choreographed to be.

Sue dropped the pen in her hand when her head Cheerio stepped up to center stage, microphone in hand. Her coaching duty to remain calm was the only thing that was keeping her from jumping up on the stage and asking her what she was doing.

When Brittany saw Santana, she stopped dead in her tracks. Luckily the rest of the group had taken a place in front of her so the stutter wasn't seen by the judges. Finally she snapped back into the dance with a renewed hope. Maybe they could win this. She looked around at the semi-stunned faces of her team members. She needed to get them back in the song. Brittany danced around the stage, tapping and poking everyone, making it appear as part of the dance when in reality she just needed to get them going again.

Finally the whole group came alive. Santana handed the microphone back to Quinn. She gave up the rest of the solo so she could sway in the background and be content, soaking in the feeling of being on stage again.

She scanned the stage and her eyes found Brittany's. As unintentional as she wanted it to be, it wasn't. She was looking for the blonde. While she was sitting at the Cheerio competition, waiting for the order of performances, she couldn't help, but feel guilty letting the whole club down. Luckily, as the lowest seeded team, the Cheerios were last. She knew she had hours before their routine. A few of them came with her, wanting to see what kind of other performance would cause their esteemed leader to leave without even scoping out the other competition.

It was a good thing that they came along because the performance had already started and Santana had to think quickly about how she was going to make her entrance look planned. So she sent one of the girls to the stage manager to bitch about how the lights weren't down yet. Of course he didn't know they were supposed to be because no one had told him before, but he figured it was a lapse in communication and immediately got to work on it. Once she was changed, Santana took her place and nodded to the stage manager. Two Cheerios grabbed Jacob through the curtain right where Santana was supposed to be standing. They drug him off the stage as the curtain flew up, shining lights on the entire audience, dazing them at a crescendo, perfectly fitting the effect. When the lights went down and the curtain dropped, Santana was in front of it.

When the number was over, the group cheered and everyone hugged each other except for Brittany and Santana who were acting like if they got too close their personal bubbles would shatter. Santana told everyone that she was sorry she showed up late but she had to get going.

And just like that she was whisked away by the Cheerios that came with her.

After the New Directions win, the whole club decided to go support Santana and the Cheerios. On the way, they managed to get some paper and make signs. Yeah they were going to be those obnoxious kids, but they didn't care. They were high on their first Regionals win.

Santana and the Cheerios had just finished their routine and were instructed to stay on the performance area as the other teams came out for the results. She huffed. There really should be a law against that much stupidity under one roof. She watched the judges call out all the teams. She was just about to turn back to her team and make sure they were standing in the perfect order when her eyes caught the color-coordinated group of misfits sitting in the stands. They were all cheering and waving their signs. Rachel's sign caught her eyes first "WE WON!"

Her breath caught. As much as she'd tortured them over the past week, Santana loved the glee club and the thought of it being disbanded...again hurt her already wounded heart.

Then she went through the various other signs. Artie was even holding one up and smiled at her. "Go Cheerios!"

She noticed that one person was absent from the group. Brittany was nowhere in the crowd. She let out a heartbroken sigh. There was no reason for her to be there. A smile during a performance didn't mean much or that her behavior was forgiven or that it would be any easier to look at Brittany knowing that she couldn't have her even after she laid her heart out on the line.

She didn't even hear the announcement of the first place trophy because she was so disappointed to Brittany wasn't here. The girls jumping up and down all around her told her that yes they had won. Someone thrust an obnoxiously large trophy in her hands. She did her obligatory duty to hoist in the hair as cameras flashed. A fake smile on her face was enough to placate everyone into think that she was happy. She let the trophy down and then when the confetti cannons shot through the air, she looked up at the neon colored rain.

Santana didn't go backstage with the rest of the team. She went and hugged her New Directions friends, trying to keep her tears back that Brittany wasn't there with them. Artie looked up at her with a sad smile. It was apparent that Brittany had told him what happened, "You did good girl."

"Thanks," Santana let out to the boy that had won. She knew she should want to push him down some stairs or tie his wheelchair to the back of a bus, but she was too tired to be mad. He patted her hand and was wheeled off by Mike.

Sam stepped up to her and gave her a hug, "You did awesome."

"Thanks," she was surprised by the tears in her eyes.

"You gonna be okay?" Sam asked, "We gotta get the bus back or they're gonna charge us for another day."

Santana nodded, "I'm fine. Just tired..."

"See you in glee?" Rachel asked hopefully.

Santana nodded again, "Yeah."

Quinn hugged Santana and added, "You're one hell of a captain S."

"Thanks Q," Santana smiled at her best frienemy.

Once everyone cleared out and it was only the janitors sweeping up the confetti, Santana sat on the bleachers and looked at the performance space. She'd just won two huge events today and she still felt like shit. She just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. The past week she'd been masking everything with anger, but all the anger was gone and the only thing left was a profound sadness. She closed her eyes and tears escaped from under her eyelids.

"Hi." A small whisper of a voice caught her ear.

Santana's head shot up. She looked next to her and saw Brittany sitting next to her. The blonde looked nervous with her hands in the pockets of her sweater that covered her blue dress she had worn at sectionals. Santana nodded "Hey."

"Can we talk?" Brittany asked quietly.

Santana shook her head, "I can't-Not right now."

The blonde tapped her foot on the ground, "Well you have to come with me."

"Why?"

"Because I told Tiffany to take the team back to school," Brittany explained.

Santana sniffled, "Why would you do that?"

"So you'd come with me," Brittany added, her eyes on her knees as they bounced with nervous energy, "I'm gonna drive you home or to school or wherever. I just want you to come with me."

Santana didn't seem much choice. Her house was by McKinley which was across town. She let out a sigh and nodded, "Okay."

Brittany had a tiny smile tug at the corner of her lips over this small victory. She followed Santana out to the parking lot and then silently led the way to her car.

As they pulled out of the parking lot, Santana couldn't hold her tongue anymore. She asked, "Am I not good enough?"

"What?" Brittany was caught off guard by the question.

"I know I'm a bitch, but I'm not a bitch to you," Santana explained, feeling weak and stupid that she was trying to plead her case to Brittany, "I can start being nice. I'm just..."

"I broke up with Artie," Brittany interrupted her.

Santana was stunned into speechlessness. She just looked at her best friend.

The blonde stopped at a stop light and glanced at Santana. She didn't say anything. She just looked at her.

Finally when they pulled up to Santana's house, Brittany turned off the car and spoke. "I can't be without you. I was sad and lost all the time. I missed you this week. Then Artie got mad at me and didn't talk to me on Thursday or Friday, but all I could think about was you..." Her bottom lip was quivering. "I don't know even what I'm doing. I don't know why I told them to leave without you. I just...I wanted to be close to you. Even if it was just driving you home."

They sat in silence for a minute before Brittany asked, "Can I come inside?" It felt weird. She'd never had to ask before.

Santana shook her head, "No that's a bad idea." There were light dimmers and flat surfaces in her house. If Brittany wanted, Santana would give in and she couldn't do that. Not yet anyway.

Brittany looked as if she were about to cry. Santana quickly added, "We can sit on the swing okay?"

The blonde nodded and exited her car, beating Santana to the wooden porch swing by a couple of steps. Santana sat as far away from Brittany as possible, squished against the arm. Brittany noticed this and played with her fingers in her lap, staring at her feet that dangled over the porch.

"Why am I your second choice?" Santana asked, her voice already weak. It was a matter of second before the waterworks started. She just wanted to get that out before she stopped fighting it.

"You're not."

"I can't be your first choice," Santana's bangs fell across her eyes as she looked to Brittany, "You picked him first."

"You're always my first choice," Brittany licked her lips and continued, "You always were. I waited for you. For a really, really long time." A sigh passed her lips and she chanced a glance at the other girl, "I know you. I knew you loved me. I was just waiting for you to realize it too." Her eyes dropped back down to her feet, "Until you told me that you weren't in love with me…I guess I thought I was wrong."

Santana took a moment to absorb what Brittany had said, "Why did you put me off for Artie?"

"I didn't want to," Brittany vigorously shook her head, "I was just…super surprised." She paused, catching Santana's watery eyes, "I love you. I really do."

"But?"

"But what?" the blonde eyebrows furrowed at Santana.

"You're not going to add anything?" Santana knew she was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. She couldn't let herself hope, "No 'I love you, but you've fucked up' or 'but you waited too long' or-"

Brittany interrupted her, "No. No buts." She let out a small, hopeful smile, "I love you. That's it."

"So…" Santana paused, trying to process what she was about to say, "Do you wanna like…" She gestured with her hand between them because she couldn't really decide what word she wanted to use.

"If you want to," Brittany's blue eyes caught the sun and it made her nervous smile seem a million times greater. "I meant it. I'm yours if you want me…proudly so."

Santana cracked a smile. It's not like Brittany didn't know what she was getting into. They'd been through the most volatile years of their lives together. And Brittany still wanted in.

Before it could all vanish like the dream Santana was sure it was, she held her hand up, extending her pinkie.

Brittany laughed through the tears that were still in her eyes, slowly disappearing. She wrapped her pinkie around Santana's. Then she used it to pull Santana to her, finally sending their lips crashing together.

After a slow, exploratory kiss, Santana pulled away and rested her head on Brittany's shoulder, leaning into her. "I don't wanna be with anyone but you."

"Me neither," Brittany ran her fingers through Santana's hair and kissed her forehead, "I love you."

"I love you too," Santana stroked Brittany's side through her shirt, "I'm yours too you know."

"I'm glad," Brittany grew quiet as they swayed back and forth in the swing with each kick of her leg against the air. "So what now? Do we go on dates or what?"

"I dunno," Santana shrugged. She tilted her head up and kissed the underside of Brittany's jaw, "Whatever you want."

"You're tired," Brittany could see it in Santana's eyes. The emotional toll of this whole process as well as winning two competitions in one day could take a lot out of a girl. "Let's go lay down and we'll decide later okay?"

Santana nodded. They got up and Brittany was surprised when Santana wrapped her arms around her neck. She smiled and held Santana against her. She knew Santana needed this. She needed the closeness because she was starting to heal.

Finally Santana pulled away without saying anything. Brittany understood what was happening. She gently kissed the few tears away as they fell. Santana smiled. Her voice was hoarse and weak but she said, "I love you B."

Brittany smiled and replied with her eyes locked onto Santana's, "I love you too."

Santana let out a content sigh and took Brittany's hand. She lead the way inside making sure to keep their pinkies linked all the way up to her bedroom.


End file.
